From invisibility to inspiration: the power of story Rev. Heather Griffin, a Seeking Common Ground Panel Member, shares her presentation from the 2018 Parliament of World Religions on Women, Faith and Peacebuilding. Thank you to the Parliament for giving me the opportunity to speak. Thank you too for your attendance here. I am passionate about making our […]
The 47th meeting of the Uniting Church in Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry took place at the Uniting Church offices in Sydney on 8 November. Dialogue members spent time reading and discussing the book of Ecclesiastes, or as it is known in the Jewish tradition, Qohelet. By sharing different understandings of the […]
Rev. Marie Wilson reports on the Kristallnacht commemoration in WA. At Temple David on Sunday 11th November, an overflowing congregation came to commemorate Kristallnacht. As we gathered, the theme from Schindler’s List by John Williams, played by Dr Ronniet Orlando and accompanied by Margaret Helfgott, set the sombre tone for the evening. After introductory comments […]
Rev. Vinod Victor, from one of our Partner Churches, the Church of South India (CSI), has written a reflection on the 15th Triennial Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia. He was also captured on video by UnitingWorld. By Rev. Vinod Victor The 15th Triennial Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia was held from […]
By Emily Evans After a long week of community building, prayers, pilgrimage and decision making, Emily Evans shares 5 highlights from the World Council of Churches’ Executive Committee in Uppsalla, Sweden, 2-8 November 2018. Joint ACT Alliance and WCC Day (1 November) The ACT Alliance Assembly met just prior to the WCC Executive Committee meeting. […]
By Emma Parr, Religious Education and Safe Church Consultant NSW/ACT SynodThe Christian Conference of Asia gathered a consultation group of 60 practitioners working with children and in child safety from member churches and ecumenical organisations on 17-19 September 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia.I contributed on behalf of the Uniting Church, as a partner church and as one which […]
By Rosemary Austin Pope Francis in ‘Laudato Si’ writes, “returning to places, a chance to recover something of the true self.” With this in mind, I pack my bag and head for a return visit to Taizé, France, 40 years on! I reflect back to Sunday, 22nd January 1978 – a very special day for […]
Circle Advocate Rev Dr Amelia Koh-Butler reflects on what makes seeking common ground hard, and why it’s always worth pursuing. A few years ago I was involved with a bunch of radical disciples who birthed a new community. It’s called ‘The Commons’ in Newcastle, NSW. The founders were inspired by Acts 2:42-47. The believers devoted […]
Emily Evans is one of the Seeking Common Ground Panel members. She is also a member of the World Council of Churches Central and Executive Committees. We’ve asked her to share some of her experiences. What were your first experiences of ecumenism? One of my first experiences of ecumenism was at a local level when I […]
By Rev Dr Matthew Wilson, Co-Convenor UCA-ECAJ Dialogue The National Dialogue of the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has met 45 times since 1991. The Dialogue was established when tensions arose between the Uniting Church and the Jewish community in relation to the political situation in Israel-Palestine. […]